Separation device



April 2 4, 1962 P. o. ROOT ET AL 3,030,754

SEPARATIONVDEVICE Fiieact. 17, 1960' @Hump O. @COT \Am FT CHAPLE INVENTORS ATTQRNET United States Patent O 3,030,754 SEPARATEN DEVltCE o Phiilip (D. Root and William F. Chapta, lilahorna Qity,

ldla., assignors to Black, Sir/alle d; Bryson, lne., 11ansas City, Mo., .a corporation of Delaware Filed @et 17, 19nd, Ser. No. 63,1166 1 Claim. (Cl. 55-32tl The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating liquids :and solids from a gaseous stream. -ln particular, the present invention relates to a separation apparatus which will separate entraiiied liquids and solids from a fluid stream wherein the separation device 1s positioned in a iluid tlow line and is designed to remove entrained solids and liquids and free liquids from a fluid stream with the iluid stream owing in either direction through the iluid iow line.

Many devices have been designed to remove entrained solids and liquids and free liquids from a fluid stream but in all devices the reversal of iiow of the iluid stream will cause such devices to be ineffective in operation and dlow reversal in some such devices will cause liquids and solids to be entrained in the fluid stream. With the spread of natural gas pipelines and underground storage of natural gas, a need has arisen for a separation device which will remove the liquids and `solids from natural gas regardless of the direction in which the natural gas stream is ilowing. For example, when natural gas is injected into an underground natural gas storage facility, it is considered necessary to remove as much of the liquids and solids from the natural gas stream prior to its injection in order to assure the proper operation of the injection system. When the natural gas is removed from the underground storage, it may have liquids and solids entrained therein which should be removed to maintain high efciencies in the operation oi pipelines and distribution systems. In many pipelines due to the interconnections of many distribution systems the natural gas may flow in one direction for a period of time and then because of a shifting of demand, the ow of the natural gas stream will reverse iand flow in the other direction. ln both such applications a separation device which will efficiently separate the entrained solids and liqiuds and the free liquids from the flowing natural gas stream is a necessity. Otherwise, a pair of separation devices possibly would have to be used Iand a system of check valves to direct the flow of the natural gas stream to the proper separation device.

Therefore, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a separation device for eicient separation of liquids and solids from `a natural gas stream regardless of the direction of flow of the natural gas stream. Another object of the present invention is to provide a separation device having both an internal reversal of direction and an agglomerator to remove the liquids from the gas stream tlowing therethrough.

These and other import-ant objects of the present invention are more fully explained .and described in the accompanying drawing wherein:

The FIGURE is a detailed sectional View taken on a vertical plane passing through the center of a separation device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring more in detail to the drawing:

Separator 1 shown in the FIGURE comprises an upright cylindrical shell 2, upper dished head 3 and lower dished head 41. Skirt 45 is secured to lower dished head 4 to support separator 1 in an upright position. Base ring 6 is secured to skirt 5 to provide a proper base for the support of separator 1 when installed. Duets '7 and 8 are shown to have flanges 9 `and 1u respectively or any other suitable type of connections. Duets 7 and l8 both ICC extend through upright cylindrical shell 2 into the interior of separator 1. Deilector plates 11 and 12 are positioned within shell 2 directly above the connections of ducts 7 and 3 respectively and extend downwardly and inwardly within separator 1. Deector plate 11 is supported by brackets 13 positioned yat the side edges of plate 11, only one of the brackets 13 being shown in the figure. Detlector plate 12 is similarly supported by brackets 14. T he interior of separator 1 is ydivided throughout a substantial portion of the height of shell 2 by vertical partition 15 which is secured at each side to the inner surface of shell 2. Transverse partitions 16 and 17 are each secured to the lower edge of vertical partition 15 and lalso to the inner surface of shell 2 as shown. Downcomer 13 extends through transverse partition 16 and depends therefrom into the lower portion of liquid collecting chamber 19. Downcomer Ztl extends through transverse partition 17 and depends therefrom into the lower portion of liquid collecting chamber 19. A suitable liquid level control mechanism such as float 21 is provided to maintain the liquid level 22 within liquid collecting chamber 19 labove the lower extremity of downcomers 1d and 20. Liquid outlet 23 extends from liquid collecting chamber 19 through head 4 and is provided with Kilange 24 or other suitable connection. A dump valve (not shown) should be connected into liquid outlet 23 to be controlled by the operation of iloat 21 to dump the liquids collecting in chamber 19 thereby maintaining the proper height of liquid level 22. Mist extraction elements 25 and 26 extend on their respective sides of vertical partition 15 to the inner surface of shell 2. Care should be taken with the installation of mist extraction elements 25 and 26 to `assure that there are no open spaces near the inner surface of shell 2 or next to vertical partition 15 so that the gas flowing through separator 1 will have to pass through both elements 25 and 26 and will not have an open path to bypass elements 25 and 26. Equalizer pipe 27 extends from chamber 19, through partition 16 into the upper portion of separator 1 below element 25.

In operation the connections to the uid ow line are made through flanges 9 and 10 into ducts 7 and S. Since the ow in the iluid ow line will be designed to conduct the flow of natural gas in either direction and since the main purpose of the design of separator 1 is to have a separator which will function with flow in either direction, it is immaterial how the connections are made into ducts 7 and 3. Assuming, for example, that a connection is made so that the gas stream ows into separator 1 through duct 7, then the total stream ilow will be deilected toward the lower portion of separator 1 by dei'lector plate 1.1. This will cause the free liquids and heavy liquid and solid particles to drop to the lower portion of separator 1. The ilow path of the gas will reverse to an upwardly direction and will pass through mist extraction element 25, will iiow over the upper extremity of vertical partition 15 in the space under head 3. The gas flow will continue down through inist extraction element 26, under deilector plate 12 and out of separator 1 through duct S. When the flow is in the direction just described, then duct 7 will serve as an inlet for separator 1 and duct d will serve as the gas outlet -for separator 1. lt should be pointed out that in passing through mist extraction elements 25 and 26 that efficient removal of the entrained liquid and solids is accomplished. In owing from mist extraction element 26 under deilector plate 12 `and out through duct 8, the gas is again caused to reverse its direction of ow from a downwardly to an upwardly direction which will cause additional separation of entrained liquids and solids when these have passed through mist extraction elements 25 and 26 without being removed from the gas stream. The liquids separated from the gas stream will ilow downwardly and collect on transverse partitions 16 and 17 and will drain into liquid collecting chamber 19 through downcomers 18 and 20. The liquids collecting in chamber 19 will be discharged through liquid outlet 23 under the control of a valve mechanism actuated by oat 21.

When it is desired to reverse the flow direction in the uid flow line, no valves have to be actuated to assure the proper operation of separator 1. The lluid stream will enter separator 1 through duct 8, will ow under deflector plate 12, through mist extraction elements 26 and 25 and out of Iseparator 1 through duct 7 after passing under deflector plate 11.

From the foregoing it can be understood that the present invention has provided a new and novel separation device which will operate in a pipeline or other iluid ow line in which the direction of flow will vary from time to time and wherein the separation device functions equally Well to remove entrained solids and liquids and free liquids from the fluid stream Awithout respect to the direction of fluid ilow.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

A device for separating liquids and solids from a gas stream which -ows in one direction at certain times and flows in the opposite direction at other times comprising, an upright vessel, a vertical partition dividing said vessel into two chambers, a pair of connections into said vessel, each of said connections connecting into one of said chambers, a pair of dellector baffles lallixed to the interior of said upright vessel, each of said deector bales being positioned immediately above one of said connections to direct the inward iiow through said connections into said 4f vessel in a downwardly direction, said vertical partition extending upwardly a substantial distance above said pair of connections into said vessel and terminating in spaced relationship to the upper interior portion of said vessel, a pair of mist extraction elements positioned in said vessel on opposite sides of said vertical partition near the upper extremity of said vertical partition and above said connections into said vessel, said mist extraction elements being positioned across the interior of said vessel to substantially i'ill all of the space within between the interior of said vessel and said vertical partition, a pair of partitions positioned across said vessel, said vertical partition extending downwardly and connecting to said pair of partitions, a pair of downcomers, each of said pair of downcomers extending through one of said pair of partitions and extending downwardly therefrom within said vessel and terminating in spaced relationship above the lower interior of said vessel, said pair of partitions being inclined to drain liquid collecting on said pair of partitions toward said downcomers and -a connection into the lower portion of said vessel to discharge the liquid collecting in the lower portion of said Vessel from said vessel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 541,277 Hornig June 18, 1895 648,068 Cookson Apr. 24, 1900 1,117,547 Beulke Nov. 17, 1914 2,157,829 Metzgar May 9, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,144 Great Britain Apr. 27, 1887 332,791 Italy Dec. 9, 1935 

